It's a heart-wrenching issue, really. One that will certainly cause many fans of the Miami Dolphins to quiver with sympathy and emotion.

The dilemma? They have too many talented quarterbacks.

"They'll have to make a decision about us at the end of the year," San Diego starting quarterback Drew Brees said Wednesday. "I've made it known that I want to be in San Diego for a long, long time. I want a commitment from (the Chargers)."

Such a conundrum. But perhaps the Dolphins could help.

Since San Diego drafted Philip Rivers with the No. 4 pick in the 2004 draft, Brees has been playing to Pro Bowl caliber. As a result, when the off-season arrives, the Chargers must decide what to do with their pair of top-notch quarterbacks.

They could trade Rivers to the highest bidder in need at the position. They could also trade Brees should they decide to keep the younger prospect. Or, of course, they could swallow the money and keep both quarterbacks — a more unlikely scenario.

So could the Dolphins' quarterback of the future be standing on the opposite sideline Sunday when Miami travels to San Diego?

"You never know how things are going to work out," Brees said.

Not that Brees thinks he'll be the one to make such a move.

"I would assume after this year that a decision would be made, that one of us would be gone," Brees said. "I absolutely feel like I'm the future of this organization at the quarterback position."

So if Brees' hopes are fulfilled, that makes Rivers a potentially marketable commodity. Reports out of San Diego are that it could take as much as an early first-round draft pick and a veteran starter to spark a blockbuster deal.

"But this is one of those hard trades to make," warns Gil Brandt, the former longtime personnel director of the Dallas Cowboys.

That's because of money issues. Rivers carries a salary of nearly $14.3 million, and he's signed through 2010. Such a hefty fee could deter teams such as the New York Jets, who often have been associated with the Rivers-Brees watch.

The Jets need a quarterback and will have the commodities to trade with, but they might not have the room with their struggling salary cap. The Dolphins, though, are more financially sound. Although that's not to say Rivers would be the right guy for the system.

"If your looking for a down-the-field thrower, he is not the guy," former NFL quarterback Phil Simms said. "There are plenty of offenses that he could fit into, but it depends on what you're going to do."

And since Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has an affinity for deep passes, Simms doesn't see a proper fit.

Simms isn't particularly impressed by Rivers' ability, either — even if the quarterback finished his career at N.C. State ranked second among passers in NCAA history. That's because Rivers is not particularly fast — he ran a 5.08 in the 40-yard dash before the draft — and he lacks a consistent deep ball.

"He's not the playmaker," said Simms, who suggested the Dolphins would be better off convincing Notre Dame junior quarterback Brady Quinn to enter the draft. "But the market for Philip Rivers will be driven up by hype, by people who say the Chargers' best quarterback is sitting on the bench.

"That's a very easy thing to say when there's no proof of it otherwise."

The verdict is still out on whether Rivers will be traded — or whether the Dolphins would be interested. League rules prohibit coach Nick Saban from discussing any potential of acquiring another team's player. And Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said that decision won't be made until the post-season.

Schottenheimer said he thinks it's still possible to keep both quarterbacks, as the team anticipates being nearly $20 million below next year's projected salary cap.

"There's always going to be a No. 1 and a No. 2," Schottenheimer said. "Fortunately, when we get down the road at the conclusion of the season, we'll be in a position (financially) to have both of them here if that's what we choose to do."

Most — including Brees — expect otherwise. For now, Rivers will continue to do his job — even if it means being the top seat-warmer in the league.

"He's doing an excellent job," Schottenheimer said. "He's not the guy taking the snaps every week, but he's working hard and preparing himself for that eventuality."

I"m a big Rivers fan as I actually work at NCSU. He's big, strong, very intelligent reading defenses, and very accurate. From what we're hearing, the Fins may not be interested in him because he's slow and his arm strength is supposedly not strong enough for our offensive system.

I dispute the weak armed comments made about Rivers. I remember him making all the throws at NCSU and I remember him having very good pocket awareness. He was also coached by Norm Chow in his freshman year ... which he started. It's hard to believe Alabama recruited him to play corner.

Here's some video of him in this clip ripping apart the Kansas Jayhawks. It's 24 megs in size.

I've watched Rivers, and the guy has a strong accurate arm. He throws with a lot of velocity. The main knock on him is his sidearm throwing style which reminds everyone of Bernie Kosar. But the guy is one of the best NCAA QB's ever and I'm confident that that he could be a great pocket passer in the NFL.